Boxing, a record that lasted almost a hundred years has been shattered. Here are all the details of the new record just set
Records are meant to be broken. Sooner or later, every record gets updated. Of course, sometimes it takes years for a new record to be established, but as mentioned, no sports record is eternal.
It took as long as 66 years, but even the record of ‘O Rei Pelé’ has been shattered. Taking the field in the Euro 2024 final with his Spain against England at just 17 years and 1 day, the young phenomenon Lamine Yamal set a new record in one of the main international tournaments. Thus, the previous record held by the green and yellow legend, who played for Brazil in the World Cup won in 1958 (in the final against the home team Sweden) at 17 years and 249 days, was broken.
However, in boxing, a record that in terms of longevity made the unforgettable Brazilian champion’s 66-year reign pale in comparison has been shattered. Roy Jones Jr. did not manage to knock down former MMA fighter Anthony Pettis, but instead he knocked out a record that had lasted for almost a hundred years. This achievement serves as a wake-up call for Mike Tyson, who is preparing to return to the ring at the age of 58.
Roy Jones Jr’s Record
Jones Jr. retired from competitive activity in 2018 and is considered one of the greatest boxers of all time given his successes in four weight classes. After the exhibition match against Mike Tyson in 2020 (for the record, it ended in a draw), Roy Jones announced a sensational return to the ring by agreeing to face off against the ‘former MMA fighter Pettis at the venerable age of 54.
This match, his 76th, allowed Roy Jones to further extend his career, which lasted from 1989 to 2023 (specifically, 12,384 days), thus putting to rest the previous record that lasted for almost a century, held by former champion Jack Johnson, who fought from 1897 to 1931 for a total of 12,231 days.
Therefore, it is now Roy Jones who boasts the record for the longest career among all 105 world champions in heavyweight boxing, both past and present. An achievement, as noted, that was not accompanied by success. Despite many predicting that Jones’s skill and experience would prevail over his debut opponent, from the very first bell the former heavyweight champion displayed all his years, remaining on the defensive throughout.
Although more agile and reactive than in the match against Tyson, Roy Jones never found his rhythm with Pettis, who thus had an easy time landing some combinations that made the difference in his favor. Mike Tyson is warned.